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Proud of my tin-foil hat - this is pride of something EARNED (I'm a self-made "nut"!) - and anything I may say should be taken in this context!

Gold Member

Personally, I'm not sold on Lithium as an energy storage source for vehicles. Too large/heavy, too expensive, takes too long to charge. If Lithium ever makes the push to kill combustion engines (it doesn't replace oil as fuel, just moves where it is burned), it will be with a drastically reduced amount of lithium. If I had some unallocated FRNs to throw around, I'd be researching how to get in the carbon nanotube game.

Gold Member

Nanotube technology is in the future and sure does appear to go with Lithium. However, with the scare going on in the Oil world (one I feel is exaggerated), I am beginning to believe that there will be a stronger push for electric cars (or at least hybrids) today, and that (for now) means Lithium. We already have the technology in place, the mines, the manufacturing, and a market.

I may be off base and have not done enough due diligence (hence the reason for the thread), but I do believe it is worth looking deeply into Lithium, at least for the near future (5-10 years).

What I am curious about is how much the US Department of Defense is into Lithium.

Gold Member

I agree mostly, I just don't see electric cars breaking into mainstream without resolving two major issues, weight to energy storage ratio and charge time. You're seeing it in smart phones now as well. Not enough power to get through a day for how they are being used these days. Battery technology in general can only be a good bet for the future.

Good point. All of the current carbon nanotube suppliers I've found are privately owned. If I could find one that's public, I'd definitely buy some shares. As advancements in production decrease lead times and cost, these companies will explode.

Gold Member

The auto industry aside, Lithium Ion batteries are the batteries of choice for electronic devices. My laptop's battery (that I purchased nearly three years ago) had a four hour run time. Today's similar laptop comes with a 10 hour battery.

Advances are being made with Lithium, and I see where nanotubes will be a great industry to get into in the future.

But I'm looking to get into something by summer.

One of the companies is Western Lithium. I'm a novice at stocks, but a guy has to start somewhere. Can someone take a look and give me their professional take on WLCDF?

In 2010, we achieved our milestone to demonstrate that we can competitively produce high quality lithium carbonate from one of the largest known lithium deposits in the world located in Nevada(1)," said Western Lithium's President, Jay Chmelauskas. "With a competitive cost structure and potential scalability, we are well positioned to potentially displace some offshore lithium imports into the United States, and also to compete with exporting countries supplying lithium products to Asian battery and automotive manufacturers. In 2011, we will focus our attention on process and engineering optimization, product design and permitting.

...

Western Lithium is developing the Kings Valley, Nevada lithium deposit into potentially one of the world's largest(1) strategic, scalable and reliable sources of high quality lithium carbonate. The Company is positioning itself as a major U.S.-based supplier to support the rising global demand for lithium carbonate that is expected from the increased use of hybrid/electric vehicles.

Gold Member

Where is the issue of derailing. Comments are absolutely necessary. How else would a thread gain a foundation. Its the only way to get it going so lets get on with it. LIthium is one aspect but we are also seeing a great deal of research in Hydrogen fuel cells. I agree that hybrids are more of the way we will go in the interim, however in the longer run even lithium is finite. Hydrogen has a longer potential, but it cannot be used in hybrid format. Let us discuss this issue to its exhaustion.

Gold Member

Thanks guys, just wanted to make sure I didn't come across pushing CN. I've been hot on this for a couple of years, just waiting for production costs to drop and the tech to reach real world applications.

As far as Lithium goes, the only thing I really know about it are it's shortcomings. I'm usually on the front line for new tech gadgets, and battery life has been a problem for years. Yes, you can buy items with great battery life, but you give up a ton of power. I can't do that! I watched the Tesla Roadster for years, and was very hugely disappointed by the Top Gear review.

Whoever comes up with the next great battery tech is going to make an absolute fortune. If it includes Lithium it will have to be in smaller amounts, but maybe volume would increase overall in the number of units total.

Seeker

We sell watch batteries and they are made of Silver or Lithium. The refiners buy back all the silver
batteries, well worth it. I have Box [pounds] full of the Lithium batteries waiting for somebody to buy them.
Nobody pays any money for the Lithium, I really think it's abundant & ready available.
I never seen a price quote for lithium either.

Gold Member

I still have issues with Lithium. This may seem trivial but I bought a few of the rechargeable batteries which work fine in remote controls etc. However try using one in a flash light for example and they do not last all of a couple of seconds before they go out. This is distressing! Technology must be reliable and applicable across the board. Perhaps the batteries I bought are not a good quality. However it is the small indicators that provide a bigger picture.

As technology becomes more powerful in terms of applications we are finding that batteries last for shorter periods. There was some research going on where a combo of Lithium and Cobalt was being researched to find longer lasting more powerful batteries. The question here is again simple. Which sector will likely move up? Will Lithium miners shoot up? Perhaps! Will Cobalt miners shoot up or vanadium or will it be some completely new technology? What about things like Tantalum there is one small company out in Egypt that has a huge deposit there. Gipps land.That looks rather tantalizing (hi hi). I think Lithium has multiple applications apart from batteries. However that is the focus for the moment. For the longer period I believe gold and silver will continue to move up. Uranium is defined as the heavy duty energy resource for the moment, However as the world becomes more inflated and the new worlds of China and India demand technology and people begin to be able to afford the new technology, It is likely that there may be growth potential for lithium batteries. Are there any other options out there?

Gold Member

I still have issues with Lithium. This may seem trivial but I bought a few of the rechargeable batteries which work fine in remote controls etc. However try using one in a flash light for example and they do not last all of a couple of seconds before they go out. This is distressing! Technology must be reliable and applicable across the board. Perhaps the batteries I bought are not a good quality. However it is the small indicators that provide a bigger picture.

Customer satisfaction (and especially dissatisfaction) is never a trivial thing. A remote control uses very little energy and is used for mere seconds per use (possibly less if simply turning on and off a device) whereas flash light with an incandescent bulb will use an extreme amount of energy. However, I would expect the flashlight to last more than a few seconds. And then there is always the proper battery for the proper job.

As technology becomes more powerful in terms of applications we are finding that batteries last for shorter periods. There was some research going on where a combo of Lithium and Cobalt was being researched to find longer lasting more powerful batteries. The question here is again simple. Which sector will likely move up? Will Lithium miners shoot up? Perhaps! Will Cobalt miners shoot up or vanadium or will it be some completely new technology? What about things like Tantalum there is one small company out in Egypt that has a huge deposit there. Gipps land.That looks rather tantalizing (hi hi). I think Lithium has multiple applications apart from batteries. However that is the focus for the moment. For the longer period I believe gold and silver will continue to move up. Uranium is defined as the heavy duty energy resource for the moment, However as the world becomes more inflated and the new worlds of China and India demand technology and people begin to be able to afford the new technology, It is likely that there may be growth potential for lithium batteries. Are there any other options out there?

Lithium today is the element of choice for battery makers. Strides are being made for better power transfer (as KGMe pointed out using carbon nanotubes). As technology improves, so will the power and life of lithium-based batteries. While Lithium may not make the internal combustion engine obsolete, it will greatly reduce the demand for the use of refined oil in transportation.

Lithium is the first of the alkalis in the periodic table. In nature it’s found like a mixture of the isotopes Li6 and Li7. It’s the lightest solid metal, it’s soft, silvery-white, with a low melting point and reactive. Many of its physical and chemical properties are more similar to those of the alkaline earth metals than to those of its own group.

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her notebook on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month.

I own a MacBook. When I first purchased it, I fully charged it overnight before using it. I then used it using only battery power until the battery was fully discharged. When I go to work I do not plug in the adapter right away, and have at times forgotten to plug it in and have run the battery down. I will typically run the battery down at least once a week to the point where the MacBook alerts me that I am running on reserve power (which is now typically in the 2-3 our range with constant use - down from 4 hours) and then will plug in the adapter and run that way for the rest of the work day (which gives it a steady 4-6 hour charging time). I'll then run the MacBook using the adapter continuously at home leaving it plugged in (and on) all night long.

I've been doing this now for well over 2 -1/2 years. I've been impressed with the performance and life of the battery (and the MacBook). I have treated all of my rechargeable batteries this way, but it appears that may not always be the proper way to treat your batteries.

Table 2 compares the number of discharge/charge cycles a battery can deliver at various DoD levels before lithium-ion is worn out. We assume end of life when the battery capacity drops to 70 percent. This is an arbitrary threshold that is application based.

A partial discharge reduces stress and prolongs battery life. Elevated temperature and high currents also affect cycle life.

Specifying battery life by the number of discharge cycles is not complete by itself; equally if not more important are temperature conditions and charging voltages. Lithium-ion suffers stress when exposed to heat and kept at a high charge voltage.

This was a study done by Battery University and contains not only a lot of technical information but some other useful resources and links.

One does need to use the proper battery for the proper application and, like all devices, must be treated correctly. Basically, Li-Ion batteries liked to be used and dislikes being stored at full charge for extended periods of time as well exposure to high temperatures.

TOKYO--Toyota soon will use lithium ion batteries in a standard hybrid vehicle for the first time, as it slowly moves from older nickel metal hydride technology.
The lithium ion batteries will debut "in the very near future" in a Japan-market hybrid, a person familiar with the matter said. He declined to name the model or give a launch date.
But Toyota is turning to lithium for the model because it will free up more interior space, he said. As an example, he cited the dilemma of wedging more bulky nickel metal hydride batteries into the center console of the current hybrid version of the Japan-market Estima minivan.
"When it is necessary for the size of the vehicle to use compact batteries, we will use lithium ion," the person said. "For example, the Estima hybrid is the right sized vehicle for those kind of compact batteries. And whether we'll sell that model in the United States is not decided yet."
Toyota has announced plans to use lithium ion batteries in plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. But using the lightweight, high-density packs in a standard gasoline-electric hybrid is a new tack.

It does appear that we may be on the verge of that technical breakthrough that will make Li-Ion batteries a viable companion to the internal combustion engine (even if it doesn't replace it). With the concerns about the steady flow of oil causing a lot of trepidation in world markets the push toward Li-Ion technology will be greater. However, the article does mention that Nickel Metal Hydride batteries in use today are better suited for the current rapid discharge/charge rates used in vehicles today.

I need not to mention the plethora of devices that use Li-Ion batteries; however, batteries are not the only thing that Lithium is used for.

Lithium is used to treat the manic episodes of manic depression. Manic symptoms include hyperactivity, rushed speech, poor judgment, reduced need for sleep, aggression, and anger. It also helps to prevent or lessen the intensity of manic episodes.

Lithium niobate is used to make cell phone.
Lithium is used to absorb neutrons in nuclear fusion.
Lithium can be combined with other metals (usually aluminum, cadmium, copper or manganese) to make airplane parts.
Lithium hydroxide and lithium peroxide are used to purify air in submarines and on spacecraft. Lithium peroxide is fantastic as it reacts with carbon dioxide to produce oxygen.
One of the most important uses of lithium is in the treatment of bipolar disorder and depression. Salts of lithium (such as lithium carbonate and lithium citrate) are mood stabilizers.
Lithium can be used in focal lenses for telescopes and common spectacles.
Lithium chloride and lithium bromide are effective desiccant. A desiccant is a substances that keeps something (usually a container) dry by absorbing (or adsorbing) water molecules.
Lithium, and its hydrides, are used as high energy additives in rocket propellants.

Lithium has been in use for over 100 years (an early example is in 7-Up in the late 19th century). Since then the uses and applications of Lithium have increased with recent growth being fueled by the need for lightweight portable rechargable batteries. With the upheavals in the Middle East there may be a strong push for more research and development of Li-Ion battery technology.

Disclosure: I own a small retail sales and service business whose only use of Li-Ion batteries is 3V Li-Ion memory batteries in mobile radios (and very few at that). I do not have any investments in any Lithium based stocks. I am a novice to the investing world of stocks.

I am simply looking at investment alternatives

And as always, before you invest, do your own due diligence.

Questions and rebuttals are more than welcome. If you think I'm off my rocker, don't hesitate to tell me.

Gold Member

This just about killed me. I love Top Gear, and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Tesla Roadster. I'm still interested to see how the Model S turns out. Every other e-car I've seen looks like a pile of crap. Once battery tech takes off, I think Tesla will own the e-car market.

Gold Member

Without getting too deeply into this, a few suggestions....and I apologize if these are obvious, but as a guy who has dabbled in the OTC "grey market" for many years, I think they bear repeating....

Western Lithium USA is a pink sheet issue, with little publically available information on its capital structure or financial position. Right off, that means you are going into this blind - you can go to pinksheets. dot com, they have some information on shares O/S (84M) and market cap ($125), but that's about it. You could try calling Computershare, their transfer agent, to see if there is some additional information, however I doubt you will find much else. They are not requried to file with the SEC, nor report their finncial results, which are probably rather bleak anyway, else they would be trading on a higher exchange. More importantly, they are not required to file any share offerings, which means you have no way to know when dilution is coming down the pike. and, sooner or later, it will.

The problem with investing in the OTC market is separating the wehat from the chaff. Too many of these issues are thinly capitalized, poorly-conceived compnies that rely on share sales to keep operations going. That means, you are going to lose, no matter when you come into the game. Trying to make money on stocks of this type is like trying to dance while someone is pulling the rug out from under you - just not a good bet.

Trying to find the "next big thing" in the OTC is probably not the best angle, the best companies are private.

They are not obvious to me. I have no experience in the market. I'm learning as I go. I have no one in life to talk with that has any experience in the market.

I'd rather open my mouth and prove that I am acting foolishly and have you guys yell "Buck! Don't do it!" than to blindly walk over the edge into financial ruin. I've learned a lot here just by investing into Silver (and other PMs) and want to make a go of stocks. I'm not looking for the next big thing, just something else to possibly invest in.

Gold Member

Great attitude Silver Buck. I'm in pretty much the same boat. All my stocks are just buy and hold types. Nothing I actually pay much attention to. I decided to spend this year's Vegas money on learning this whole deal, that way when I lose I won't feel bad!

New Member

Lithium is a great play if you find the right companies. In general you want somebody either in production or very close to going into production.

Perfect example is Galaxy Resources (GALXF). Mine in Australia, processing plant just about ready to go into production in China. Stock is ready to begin a major run up in price. Look for new highs fairly soon. Galaxy production is already sold forward for the initial years. They also will probably build their own battery plant to produce Li batteries for E-Bikes in china. Electric bikes already are a huge market in China, mostly with lead acid batteries which are not that good. Great replacement market if better battery is available just for exisiting bikes alone. Right now nobody has enough lithium in quantity to address just that market in new bikes.

This is a great solid company, Iggy Tan the CEO has demo'd he can run a great project, just about on schedule. Should be pumping out some product in 1Q 2012 and ramp up from there. Company focus is how to add value to their product. Mine has been in operation for about a year, a number of other potential project will probably be done, after the China plant is running.

This is a longer term investment, buy and accumulate it, what I've been doing. Stock still a super cheap bargain at this price.

Also needed in batteries is graphite. Again find the right players. I've found several. Lithium batteries are not going away, wave of the future. Look for more automotive and transport applications. Galaxy is super well positioned for the market that is unfolding.

Site Supporter

I agree mostly, I just don't see electric cars breaking into mainstream without resolving two major issues, weight to energy storage ratio and charge time. You're seeing it in smart phones now as well. Not enough power to get through a day for how they are being used these days. Battery technology in general can only be a good bet for the future.

The other caveat is the cost of replacment batteries, as it stands they only last 5/7 years and the cost is around 5/7k to have them changed out, this coupled with the high cost of electric cars really negates the value of having a electric vehicle, untill they can lower the price of both they will go nowhere.

Moderator

Perfect example is Galaxy Resources (GALXF). Mine in Australia, processing plant just about ready to go into production in China. Stock is ready to begin a major run up in price. Look for new highs fairly soon.

New Member

The problem with investing in the OTC market is separating the wehat from the chaff. Too many of these issues are thinly capitalized, poorly-conceived compnies that rely on share sales to keep operations going. That means, you are going to lose, no matter when you come into the game. Trying to make money on stocks of this type is like trying to dance while someone is pulling the rug out from under you - just not a good bet.

Trying to find the "next big thing" in the OTC is probably not the best angle, the best companies are private.

H,mmm after reading thru most of this thread, I can feel your pain. Some of the most horrible discussion on lithium. Zero informed guidance to actually finding money making companies.

Galaxy just out with a great PR. We are on track to be in production by end of March 2012. Will be one of the major producers in the World. It is not just enough to mine or produce some lithium, much of it revolves around the purity grades and what contaminates are included once finished processing. Not all lithium is the same stuff.

Galaxy will produce the highest premium purity in bulk quantity of anybody else in the World. Normal so called battery grade is ~99.5% pure, Galaxy will produce a premium (EV Grade Plus @ 99.99% pure). This can sell for like as much as 3 times the more normal stuff. They understand the idea of being vertically integrated and adding value.

One other sort of interesting possible producer is a private guy Simbol who will process the waste water out of geothermal plants and extract lithium from that waste stream. Projected maybe a production 7000 tons/year. Maybe a year away from anything like production. No real info on what purity levels they might be able to achieve. Most brine producing areas will have trouble doing any major expansions. Just a issue of having enough water, plus most of them the purity final levels are not going to be in the area that Galaxy can achieve.

Lots of good info out there on lithium. Galaxy is not only one of the best around but they also showed they know how to fast track and bring a complex project on stream in very, very good short order fashion. Stock is super cheap at this stage, I don't expect that to remain so once they finally go into production.

This is a very savvy company. They are looking to mine their own waste streams as much as possible. Looking hard at what can be salvaged and marketed at the mine site. Trying to take their own tailing stream way down. At the Jiangsu processing plant in China, their waste stream is essentially zero as China tries to put industrial companies like this into industrial parks to share utilities and the waste stream of one becomes the feedstock to another company. Galaxy is in an extremely desirable location to service the emerging hi-tech markets.

Galaxy will be the lowest cost producer as probably the dominate player in the high end value / purity lithium side of the market. The battery market is not static and is requiring higher purity products which many of the existing suppliers probably cannot meet.

New Member

It is not just lithium that will get played hard as the newer battery technology develops. It is all about materials science. Look for companies with the right stuff, cobalt, graphite and vanadium can be prime, abilities to do it in very high purity mode can be required. Lithium developments are just starting in a way and is not the only materials required.

Graphite will go in many areas. The new Hi-Tech stuff will demand a flake form of graphite, the bigger the flake, the more expensive. It ain't even called graphite in some applications, graphene or graphane.

China is a big leader in graphite volume but a lot of it is more the non-useful powder form for the future aps. Not all graphite ore is equal. Historical graphite has been more a ho-hum industrial product and those markets will continue for the more common form of the stuff. China might come out a net importer of the really good stuff.

You want companies with flake capacity, good ore body, high percentage carbon, hopefully either in production or very close too it.

Ones on my radar are NGPHF, FCSMF and one called Mega Graphite down in Aussieland. Mega Graphite should get an IPO fairly soon and trade on one of the Canadian exchanges, probably have a pink sheet mirror symbol. They can be in production quick.

Right now I like / own NGPHF, but will buy all three if possible. NGPHF been trending up and can be into production pretty soon. FCSMF further away from production but has a sort of Hi-Tech development program in parallel with thoughts of production to potentially become more an integrated producer, not just a miner.

The graphite game is just getting started in terms of the Hi-Tech applications. Lots of this stuff is about being able to service very high quality QA/QC type materials / minerals markets for the future. Lots of new better mousetraps are possible in terms of products.

Name of the game is understand what is coming. Try to identify the players. The right stocks can be big winners.

This is a very savvy company. They are looking to mine their own waste streams as much as possible. Looking hard at what can be salvaged and marketed at the mine site. Trying to take their own tailing stream way down. At the Jiangsu processing plant in China, their waste stream is essentially zero as China tries to put industrial companies like this into industrial parks to share utilities and the waste stream of one becomes the feedstock to another company. Galaxy is in an extremely desirable location to service the emerging hi-tech markets.

Galaxy will be the lowest cost producer as probably the dominate player in the high end value / purity lithium side of the market. The battery market is not static and is requiring higher purity products which many of the existing suppliers probably cannot meet.

If you listened to Goldhedge on Galaxy Resources you were smart. Galaxy just about went belly up. There is
no more Galaxy in China. But wait....the comeback story. This wasn't the thread I was looking for but will have
to do for my say. Last year just about this time I came across Galaxy from a post somewhere around here that
had an article linked about lithium. Galaxy was mentioned.

I started buying Galaxy on Jan 13, 2016 at .128 cents. In Feb and Mar @ .1279 & .1777 cents. From there I bought
from .3216 to .3325 and the share price topped out at just over .40 cents. Then started back down. I was able to sell
what I bought below .20 cents at .3062 in May for a nice gain. And that's where we hovered around for some time. So,
on a dip below .30 cents I loaded up. Why?

Here are the milestones since it almost went under...down under.

-Galaxy Resources Ltd GXY.AX and GALXF for the U.S. is now a member of the ASX200
Quite often GXY is in the top 5 volume leaders and does hit nr. one occasionally. Friday
it closed at nr. 2 with 23,674,796 shares traded, closed @ .66 cents AUD. I haven't seen
a million share day yet here in the states but we've been close. Friday volume was 599,022
and closed @ .50 USD. Thursday we hit a new 52wk hi @ .519

-GXY is in production with their Mt. Catlin facility in Australia and the first off take has already
been shipped. Contracts in place. GXY took over their partner on this with shares/dilution. The
facility is all new. It's a hard rock crushing operation deal.

-GXY has been included in the lithium ETF created by Global X

-The project in Argentina (bought from Paul Matysek involved now Lithium-X) is moving along but
at a snails pace. But, they have said they are discussing options. They will need a partner to bring
this into operation. This is a brine operation and they need this brought into production.

-The funds and institutions that now own Galaxy are...well, take a look if you want.

I sold the shares I bought in the .30 cent range @ .412 & .44 So, what I have now is bought all
under .30 cents. I hope to sell some if we just tip over .70 and be out between anything over $1.00 USD

GALXF is a unsponsored/unsupported ADR. Do not let that spook you. It has to do with number of shareholders.
Somewhere down the line GXY may put out a sponsored ADR probably at 1/10 (one
share of ADR will equate to 10 shares GXY) Or they could do a reverse split for their stock. They have
way too many shares. If they do issue a sponsored ADR the ticker will end in Y instead of F. Just a
note:there are a lot of defunct Y listings floating around in which case if wanted buy with the F. Some
companies you'll find both Y and F active.

Galaxy Resources Ltd is an Australian company. It's main exchange is the ASX (Australian Stock Exchange) It's
ticker GXY can be followed there. http://www.asx.com.au/asx/share-price-research/company/GXY You should be able to pull GXY
up on Yahoo also. Exchange as of Friday 13th Closed on the ASX @ .66cents AUD = .4946cents USD. So,
the bid/ask for Friday in the states was about .485/.505

GXY is for Australia only, GALXF for the U.S only. GXY's closing price on Australia's ASX will 'set' the bid/ask GALXF. i.e. ASX opens/closes their Monday before we open our Monday. Currency swings also play apart of pricing during the day in U.S.

Ok, here goes. This is what I know...or believe I know.

ADR, American Depository Receipts. If a foreign company wants to be listed on the NYSE and can meet the requirements
it will put up it's shares to back a listing there. Listing on the NYSE by a foreign company is where you'll find the huge multi-nationals
listed if they so desire. Then there are the foreign companies that want to be listed in the states that aren't able to meet the
requirements for the NYSE. So, they have the option to sponsor their ADR on the OTC. If it maintains a certain number of shareholders all is
good. It gets a listing ending in Y showing sponsored ADR. If the s/h number isn't maintained then they lose the Y and get a F added
to the ticker, denoting unsponsored ADR. In which case 'somebody' will pick up and make the market backed by (?)

Now the weird part. Some foreign companies never even apply to become traded on the U.S. OTC to get the Y so that they can
lose it can and get the F. I've found mining companies in Australia that don't even know they are being traded in the U.S. on the
OTC and had one even get testy all over it. So, I explain it to them. I say: 'Look at the institutions that own stock in your company.
Any number of them have enough clout internationally to make a market on the OTC in the states. You should be happy they
are doing it cause it's more exposure for your company.' Once I was researching Chinese tech companies listed on HK. Two
had their number listing for HK and also a U.S. OTC ticker ending in F with "UBS Market Maker" next to it.

So, ending in F doesn't necessarily mean bad. Some foreign companies will have both a Y and F listing with the Y listing defunct
and the F listing active with little to a lot of volume. Some have both F and Y active. I just bought a couple stocks I'll put up in
the What To Invest In For 2017 that will show this.

History that I do not know as fact
-This I do know. When I first started buying foreign stocks on the U.S. OTC everything ended in F.PK the F stood for foreign and PK for pink sheets
-Then Y listings started popping up. And disappearing
-Then you couldn't pull up F.PK, dropped the .PK
-And that's kinda where we are now. Y if you want to support the ADR and have the s/h number or F if someone with enough clout wants to make a market
whether the company likes it or not. Canadian companies, and just not the miners, seem to like the idea of being listed on the OTC markets and even
promote their F U.S. ticker.

For the record. I have always gotten any dividends, stock swap buyouts with my F shares. I have always been able to buy AND sell, no matter
how thin the market. Once, with Evolution Mining there was a special rights offer. I was not able to purchase the shares but ended up with
a $70 credit of which $10 was later deducted for foreign tax

Galaxy has never had a sponsored ADR and they don't need one...not yet

New Member

Chile has the largest reserves of lithium. You could invest in Chile lithium mining company SQM (NYSE:SQM), or in the iShares Chile ETF (NYSEARCA:ECH), on the hope that the whole country's economy benefits from their massive lithium reserves. Chile is also the most "stable" latin american country (highest credit rating, highest ranking of economic freedom, lowest murder rate, lowest corruption rate)

Panasonic (TYO:6752) is the world's largest maker of lithium batteries. In fact, Panasonic is Tesla's partner for electric car batteries. If electric cars become popular, Panasonic would likely benefit.

Silver Member

Galaxy Resources Ltd is an Australian company. It's main exchange is the ASX (Australian Stock Exchange) It's
ticker GXY can be followed there. http://www.asx.com.au/asx/share-price-research/company/GXY You should be able to pull GXY
up on Yahoo also. Exchange as of Friday 13th Closed on the ASX @ .66cents AUD = .4946cents USD. So,
the bid/ask for Friday in the states was about .485/.505

GXY is for Australia only, GALXF for the U.S only. GXY's closing price on Australia's ASX will 'set' the bid/ask GALXF. i.e. ASX opens/closes their Monday before we open our Monday. Currency swings also play apart of pricing during the day in U.S.

Ok, here goes. This is what I know...or believe I know.

ADR, American Depository Receipts. If a foreign company wants to be listed on the NYSE and can meet the requirements
it will put up it's shares to back a listing there. Listing on the NYSE by a foreign company is where you'll find the huge multi-nationals
listed if they so desire. Then there are the foreign companies that want to be listed in the states that aren't able to meet the
requirements for the NYSE. So, they have the option to sponsor their ADR on the OTC. If it maintains a certain number of shareholders all is
good. It gets a listing ending in Y showing sponsored ADR. If the s/h number isn't maintained then they lose the Y and get a F added
to the ticker, denoting unsponsored ADR. In which case 'somebody' will pick up and make the market backed by (?)

Now the weird part. Some foreign companies never even apply to become traded on the U.S. OTC to get the Y so that they can
lose it can and get the F. I've found mining companies in Australia that don't even know they are being traded in the U.S. on the
OTC and had one even get testy all over it. So, I explain it to them. I say: 'Look at the institutions that own stock in your company.
Any number of them have enough clout internationally to make a market on the OTC in the states. You should be happy they
are doing it cause it's more exposure for your company.' Once I was researching Chinese tech companies listed on HK. Two
had their number listing for HK and also a U.S. OTC ticker ending in F with "UBS Market Maker" next to it.

So, ending in F doesn't necessarily mean bad. Some foreign companies will have both a Y and F listing with the Y listing defunct
and the F listing active with little to a lot of volume. Some have both F and Y active. I just bought a couple stocks I'll put up in
the What To Invest In For 2017 that will show this.

History that I do not know as fact
-This I do know. When I first started buying foreign stocks on the U.S. OTC everything ended in F.PK the F stood for foreign and PK for pink sheets
-Then Y listings started popping up. And disappearing
-Then you couldn't pull up F.PK, dropped the .PK
-And that's kinda where we are now. Y if you want to support the ADR and have the s/h number or F if someone with enough clout wants to make a market
whether the company likes it or not. Canadian companies, and just not the miners, seem to like the idea of being listed on the OTC markets and even
promote their F U.S. ticker.

For the record. I have always gotten any dividends, stock swap buyouts with my F shares. I have always been able to buy AND sell, no matter
how thin the market. Once, with Evolution Mining there was a special rights offer. I was not able to purchase the shares but ended up with
a $70 credit of which $10 was later deducted for foreign tax

Galaxy has never had a sponsored ADR and they don't need one...not yet

I was wrong about something in this post and I have since corrected it. Unsponsored or Sponsored has to do with the
number of U.S. listed shareholders and not the share volume. From what I can find out the cutoff is 300 shareholders.